I was thinking about modifying the switch for the rear wiper so when it is switched to on, (not wash), it has a few seconds delay between wipes. Anyone ever had the switch out or know of a device that can be put inline (time delay relay?) to do this? Thanks for any replies.

mine IS intermittent.. are you saying that yours is always on? pse clarify

mine is intermitent as well.............

The 2002's for some strange reason lack the intermittent feature. If anyone knows of a simple relay to splice in the wiring, I would also be interested.

Ditto. Intermittent on my 2000. Sometimes it's even TOO intermittent and in heavy rain/road muck I have to hit the button repeatedly to get it to make several swipes in rapid succession. Anyone know of a mod to make it stay on?? :rolleyes:

my '02 has it "always on"...quite a PITA in some instances. i'd be interested in an intermittent mod (or some 3way switch that has wash/on/intermittent).

dm

Hmmmmmm. I'm thinkin' here and that's sometimes dangerous, but...

Since you 2002 owners seem to want the 2000/2001 intermittentness on that there rear wiper, me wonders if some easily available 2000/2001 relay thingamajiggy would plug in to the 2002 rear wiper circuitry...

There, I thunk and spoke. All on you'se guys now.

anyone have the tech manuals for the '00 and '01 models? there should be some electrical diagrams that might show the presence of a delay relay in the circuit somewhere...

I've got a 2001 with the intermittant blade and my brother has the 2002 without.
He's looking to make the change as well.
Ditto on the electrical question - does anybody have an idea on adding or replacing a switch or do-hicky?

The delay seen in 2000 and 2001 models seems to be an integral part of the motor. There is no delay module shown in the switch assembly or in the wiring harness.

would it be possible to replace the motor, or are there other considerations (size, connections, etc) that preclude that?

This is an easy mod guys.

Find the fuse which runs the rear wiper and replace it with one of those flashing christmas tree bulbs. Booyah, it's all good.

(smirk)

Actually, I'm interested in this issue too. I have a 2002 and it's constant as well. Ideally I'd like to have constant and intermittent availabe as I can see where being stuck with either one by itself would be a pain.

Hed

This monday I'm going to the dealer for the 7500 mile maintenance. I'm going to tell them that my rear wiper does not work, no intermittent wipe. The window sticker and the owners manual as well state it is inttermitent. Let's see what they say..it bothers me to no end that you don't get what you bought....

haven't checked the sticker/manual, but under the "standard features - Interior" section listed on the X spec site at nissan:

- Variable intermittent windshield wipers
- Rear wiper

nothing about the rear being intermittent, just that there is one...

but i'd be curious to see what the dealer says/does for you. keep us posted.

thanks,
dm

I believe the reason the intermittant is out on the 2002 is because they found that most people only turn in on when the weather's that crummy.

Picture a road you're driving and its pouring rain do you want intermittant action? I think not! So you turn to the Nissan-geneers who figure you're only gonna switch it on when all hell breaks loose.

They save the expense and if we want intermittant, we have to make it that way ourselves.

IIRC my pathfinder had a two position switch - intermittent or 'on'. Other versions have the rear switch slaved to the front wipers - intermittent if the fronts are used that way. Full on if the fronts are full on.
Thanks to cheapo nissuck - the X only gets one selection.

dave and xtoy - they should do better

Fenestrator,

We've been using our wipers alot down here the last 6 weeks huh?

Pouring down as I type.

Even when it is raining buckets, the continual sweep of the wiper is not required. The near 90 degree angle of the rear window ensures that. I constantly turn the thing on and off..leaves streaks and starts stuttering otherwise (not enough water)..while I'm at it..the rear wash funtion i.e. the blade stops on the next stroke after you release the button...why not have it wipe 2 or 3 times more :rolleyes:

Before intermittent wipers became common in new vehicles there were many add-on circuits available to do exactly what you 2002 X guys are trying to do. Unfortunately, most were built like shit and didn't last long.

I think I can come up with a rugged wiper delay circuit for under $15. When I get the first one done I'll need a guinea pig to test it out. Any volunteers?

I volunteer!!!

I try not to use mine if at all possible, because when I owned a Jeep XJ Cherokee, the rear window got scratched by the rear wiper. The rubber blade was still there, it just had a build-up of gritty dust I suppose... Just my $.02 worth

Electroken,

would this be something to allow both the intermittent mode and the full on mode or just to make the 2002 into an intermittent?

Crybaby..

I offered to swap with you.. Has an ashtray and Steelhorse console too!! :p

I try to do these things in a way that changes the harness as little as possible.
The "widget" I'm describing would tap into the original circuit but allow the original switch to function normally for constant-on operation. If the original switch was off but the "widget" was on you would have a variable delay.

I'd be interested in it (actually my brother) - let me know.

is there a way someone could get their hands on the '02 rear wiper motor assembly (shop, etc) and just bench test it on that before tearing apart the rear hatch of your X?

dm

electroken,

ah.. i get it now..that makes sense and seems like the easiest way to do it. let me know what you come up with and maybe i can convince my wife (we all have to answer to someone) to let me install it. thanks.

The device will attach to the wiring harness under the dash. There will be 3 connections:
1) power
2) ground
3) a connection to the blue/yellow wire on the rear wiper switch.

This all assumes that the 2002 rear wiper switch is the same as in my 2000. If it isn't, someone should let me know soon.

Just for your information....

I used to have a '98 Pathfinder, before I switched to my X.

In the Path, they had a three way (off, int, and full on) If there is some way of taking that switch, and using the delay realy or motor from the Path and hooking it up to the X...

I'd be all over that!!

- Nik

electroken,

well... i went under there and tried to take a picture but it looks like hell. you can still go see it if you want:

http://home.sc.rr.com/mroberts/wiper.jpg

It isn't worth putting inline and wasting everyones bandwidth.

the bottom line is that there appeared to be 3 wires into the top of the switch and three to the bottom. there was a pink one. a blue one with a reddish line down it and a black one (that i think had white polkadots but it is late and i could just be seeing things in the dark)

i hope this garbled bunch of info helps some.

Went to the dealer today..was told instruction manual and window sticker is a miss-print No intermittent option on the 2002 model..ElectroKen, help!!

I have several versions of the circuit drawn up. The versions differ only in the way that the operator contols the delay. Which should I make first?

1) A fixed delay with only a small switch to activate or deactivate the circuit. The delay interval would be set by the installer at the time the box was installed. The 2000 X has a fixed delay.

2) A variable delay with a single knob to both turn the unit on and set the delay (like the volume control on an old car radio).

3) A variable delay with a small switch to activate/deactivate the unit and a separate knob to control the delay. This allows the delay setting to remain set when turning it on or off. It will also look more cluttered.

It would also be a plus if anyone can get me a 2002 wiring diagram for the rear wiper circuit. Without it I have to make some assumptions that may be wrong.

I would opt for option 1, all I'm looking for is a sweep about every 10 seconds. I would not even want a continuous motion at all. As far as the diagram..I will do a little hunting

ditto, a 10 second sweep would be nice.

I'll double check my '02 X. I could swear mine is intermitent, but maybe I'm not remembering correctly.

I know for a fact that it does have a delay. I got mine back in August of last year. Wonder if they made some changes in the units they produced this year?

I'll post my findings.

Its good to know I am not the only one who hates the constant wiping. I always just turn it on for one wipe when i need it, becuase the constant wiping drives me crazy, and I have never been in weather that requires constant wiping. Its my only fault with the X. You could easily put a delay switch on the power wire, I am just not sure if that would be good for the wiper's motor. Well I guess I will just keep flipping the switch on and off.

Why would putting a delay-relay be bad for the motor? It's seems as though it would be the same as you clicking the switch on and off manually. I'll try to locate such a relay. Question is, what is the amperage going to the motor?

It can't be too bad for the motor - the front wiper is already intermittent.

Our rear wiper motor is the same as most have been for decades. To start a wipe, you complete the ground side of the circuit. After the wipe starts, a contact within the motor completes the ground side of the circuit until the wiper reaches its home position again. The internal contact then opens.

All any delay circuit needs to do is to ground the motor lead for about a half-second to start the process. The simple circuit I am building grounds the wire for 0.5 seconds and then opens it for 9.5 seconds. The motor does the rest.

Progress!

The software for the delay circuit is done (I think). I'm using a microcontroller because it's smaller and cheaper now than any of the old analog approaches. Check out the massive computing power:

4 MHz clock
0.001 Meg ROM
0.0001 Meg RAM

Yeah, baby.

You mean the '555 is dead?

The good old '555 timer IC is still alive and well. The oldest IC I own is a NE555 from 1973. It's a great part but for longer time delays the capacitors used with it get large and inaccurate.

I stopped using 555s as timers when the price of an 8-pin microcontroller with an internal oscillator came down to $1. I'm just a digital kind of guy.

how's this gizmo coming along?

I finished the first delay circuit today. The first goes to Staubers, the first to volunteer as a guinea pig. The first one is a freebie - we're not even sure that the 2002 wiring will accomodate it yet.

It is a small box, 1.7" X 1.5" X 0.9" with 3 wires. It will come set to 10 seconds but can be adjusted anywhere from 1 second to 20 seconds with a small screwdriver.

If it works, will it be mass marketed?

Sure, if "mass marketed" means a couple dozen. I'd go nuts building any more than that.

I'll also make the schematic and parts list available to anyone that wants to build their own.

Electroken strikes again! Dude, you ARE the man.

Sven, let's dig into yer truck over a couple beers, maybe next weekend?

I could do that, first I should contact Electroken and see how this item will get to my house...

Edited to add, sent PM to Electroken. Tats I'm guessing you and I will be doing a little electrical work 3 or 4 August BBQ again?

The 4th sounds excellent to me!(I'll definitely get that day off.)

BBQ also sounds excellent again! More chowpau(sp)? :p

OK so it rained today. I turned on the rear wiper and sure enough a 10 second delay between wipes. For me that's intermitent, I'm happy with it.

Just wanted to say I received the delay today, ElectroKen is the man. Install looks simple, Tats and I should get this done easy this Sunday. Update on Monday...

Would like to add that this little black box looks extreemly professional...Some high quality stuff.

What sort of price tag will be on the "mass marketed" ones Electroken? If reasonable I would claim one for sure.

Sweet.

Yep, when I got my fog light relay, I could of swore it looked factory. The work on it was real solid. ElectroKen is da man!

Count me in! I'm glad I started this topic. I hope this works out well.

Let's see if the thing works first. I had to make a lot of assumptions about the circuit that were based on my 2000 X.

If the design works as is I'm thinking about selling them for $20 delivered. It's a bit more than I anticipated, but they are a little tedious to make.

if it works and gets the damn thing to be intermittant, $20 is fine by me...

Same here - I'm thinking $20 is reasonable. The mods that people do around here are always professional with instructions and everything...

My hat is off to ElectroKen! Installed this little black box today, works exactly as advertised, I now have a 10 second delay, took Tats and I about 15 minutes, Only took that long because I wired it backwards initially

A few tips:

1. Open the fuse box under the dash, push the wiper switch assembly out the front.

2. Gently push the white tab on the side of the switch in, and pull the connector off.

3. Push the connector back through the opening where the switch normaly resides - this will gain you 3 or 4 precious inches in wire length.

4. I used quick connects on each wire, rather that trying to splice the wires together in one operation. I used ones similiar to these in the picture for 16-18 guage wire:


5. I was lazy and wired the power cable directly into the fuse box

Great little mod...this is the way to go for all you 2002 owners...

Yep, worked like a charm. Throws in about the same delay the 2000-01's have.

Great job Ken!

Hey ElectroKen,

How can the rest of us who want to add the delay get one?
I would pay $20 for the part.

Tomorrow I'll be ordering parts for 10 pieces. I'll build those 10 as quickly as I can stand it (it gets boring after awhile). I'll send them out in the order in which people have asked for them.

We'll handle the payment the same way it was done for the modified fog light relays - when it's installed and you're satisfied with it, send me a check or money order or Paypal for $20.

This "honor system" worked well with the relays. There was only one non-paying scumbag out of about 15 relays.

put me down for one. i can't wait to get this thing installed...

Please add me to the list. This sounds like the perfect solution to my problem. Thanks in advance. Lance

Me too!

Here are the first 10 victims - er, customers for the delay box:

1) Xterradon, who started it all.

2) Dariush Molavi

3) Steve49589

4) Orennoah

5) Gold Rush

6) Dssherrod

7) Hedron

8) Xcrement

9) Dandingo

10) Devin (added 8/10)

All of you should PM your address to me (and your names, too). I have only 8 addresses as of 8/10.

The smallest box I could get quickly is slightly larger than the original - 2.26" X 1.51" X 0.79".
I hope this doesn't ruin anyone's day.

ooh, ooh, ooh!! mee too!!

Hey man, very cool mod. I'd like to get the parts list for this if possible, also you said there was an option to use a dial to set the intermittent delay on the fly. I'd like to incorporate that as well. I may end up just buying one from you, but I like to tinker with electronics so....

Can shoot me an e-mail?

I have a schematic and a wiring diagram finished. Next I'll make a parts list with some alternate part sources. I have to convert these to PDF files and then I'll e-mail them to anyone that wants them.

But there's a catch - One of the parts is a programmed microcontroller. Without the ability to program a Microchip PIC12C671 none of the other stuff will do any good.

If you decided to make any more, I'd be interested.

I would also like to get my hands on one!!!!!!

If you ever feel like making any more rear wiper controls I would positively buy one from you!

I'd like an adjustable one as well. Most of the time it seems like the intermitant setting is set too long on my '01. Adjustable would be nice, but I have very little skills when it comes to electronics. To me all electronics work on the FM principle (F$%&ing Magic).

Xrugger---Good one. Thats HILARIOUS!!!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make me one. I can't stand the "constant-on" rear wiper, either.

ElectroKen---You've got mail!

I would also like to be on the list if you make another batch. Please Please!

Dusti

I now have a drawing package for the delay module. I'll send it to anyone who wants to see the inner workings of the thing. Just send me a PM.

I wonder what the record is for replies to a topic. This one is getting up there.

Damn, stop reading the board for a month and someone posts something worth reading. I would be interested in the delay assembly as well if more are made.

Thanks

I just put it in and it works great! The money is on its way.

Hey ElectroKen,

I just got your device in the mail and hooked it up in about a half hour. It works great. Hoping for rain to see if 10 sec. delay will be good. It seems about right. I like that the window washer still works to wipe off the wash without delay.

Putting your check for $20 in an envelope as soon as I get off the computer.

Thanks for listening to us all and helping us out.

Not even close.

And...?

And what?

just got the thing in the mail and i'd swear it came from the factory (actually, it looks a little bit better than some things that have come from the factory). i'll get it installed this weekend.

you da man, electroken

Any word on a second batch of those very cool rear wiper delays?

I would be really interested in the wiper mod. Does anyone have a picture of what it looks like installed?

Thanks

AND, what is the record. I don't really have time to go through all past topics to find how high one has gotten. Please enlighten me.

Oh, sorry.

39 pages and 502 posts long. Started by me, and driven on by the likes of yours truly, mineralblue, cds3, Ian, Tonka Ross, PNUTMNM, and several, several others. Called the, "Here ya go Tonka Ross/Booty Call" thread, it is still the record.

Unfortunately, Ian destroyed it.

Well then, you are right, not even close. So that's how you guys have so many posts to your name.

Electroken,

I was curious if you are using the PIC1208A or some other 8 pin micro.

Ken.

Do you suppose there would be a benefit to putting a glass inline fuse on the power lead?

The box includes a self-resetting "polyfuse" that trips at 0.6 amps. When the power is removed the polyfuse resets. It's all the protection it needs.

Close. I'm using the PIC12C671 because I wanted an analog input. The box includes a trimpot that is read by the micro to set the delay from 1 to 20 seconds.

ElectroKen, are you going to make any more? Please?! Pretty Please!! :p

The last 3 units from batch #1 ship on Friday. The building of batch #2 starts next week.

Ahh...yes the PIC12671. Well I guess this is a good use as any for the A/D input.

I know the PIC makes things a lot easier to change through software changes, versus an analog approach (I'm also a digital person so I understand), was there another reason that you didn't want to use the 555 timer to set some on/off duty cycle via the RC constant? It just seems like using a PIC is almost like using a Cray as an adding machine, but as with anything more power/flexibility the better

Just another curious electronics junky.

Ken.

The 555 is a great part but I've come across a few designs that simply worked better with a micro.

When using a 555 as a timer its repeatability is only as good as the capacitors used and when timing 20 seconds they can get large. I confess that I never did the math to find out just how big the timing cap would be in this situation.

The 555 also has another quirk when the circuit is first powered. The first interval is always considerably longer than the rest. It triggers at 0.33*VCC and 0.67*VCC and when you first turn it on it takes longer because it has to charge the cap to 0.67*VCC from zero. Does it matter for wipers? Probably not.

There are ways around all of these problems, but with micros being so cheap now it wasn't worth the trouble. Only 8 pins and with an internal oscillator! (granted, an RC).

I do not need one but wanted to say Electroken you are the man. It is very nice to have someone like you in our community. Keep up the excellent work.

It may not be so excellent-

Anyone installing the box should also test the rear washer when they are done with the installation. Someone with the box has reported that their rear wiper no longer comes on with the rear washer, which of course is not the way it should be.

If the 2000 and 2002 wiper switches are the same then this should not happen, but WE DONT KNOW FOR SURE THAT THEY ARE THE SAME.

12 boxes have been built and shipped. I am building no more until I know for sure that these 12 work as intended.

Thanks for trying to help but a sample of one is not enough. There could be a mid-year wiring change that I don't know about.

My rear wiper switch is a "rocker" switch with the washer side on top and the wiper side on bottom. With ElectroKen's delay installed as he instructed here is the way it operates:
When the wiper side is pushed it stays pushed and the wiper cycles initially and repeats every ten seconds. The washer side can be pushed at any time and the washer squirts and the wiper cycles once with each push of the switch. The only trick is that the washer switch must be held just until the wiper kicks in before you release. Then if you want the wiper to keep going every ten seconds you switch the wiper side (bottom) back on........Seems fine to me. Much much better than having the wiper running constantly as Nissan built it.
My X is a 2002 and I believe that it was built in August 2001 judging by all the stickers on all the major parts of the vehicle.

Hope this helps.

After testing the wiper delay this afternoon, here are my results:

Wiper toggled: One pass every 10 seconds

Wiper/wash pushed and held: Water is deployed and wiper passes every 10 seconds.

The wiper 10-second delay works great, but when you want to wash your rear window the water simply streams down the window and onto your bumper, 10 seconds later the wiper activates. I don't know if it would be possible to have varying speeds depending on which way the button was toggled, but that would be ideal. Ken any ideas?

BTW, I just wired to the fuse box to test, but where can I find a switched 12V source under there? It all looks like colorful spaghetti to me.

There is something different with the 2002 wiring. If it was wired like my 2000 the delay box would not even be in the circuit when the switch was in the wash/wipe position.

I think I understand the change that Nissan made. If it's what I think they did, there is one less wire run to the rear wiper motor. If this is the case there is no easy way to make the 2002 rear wiper act exactly like a 2000.

Doesn't anyone have a 2002 service manual? All of the questions would be answered very quickly. I will not make any more of these delays until I see a 2002 wiring diagram.

I will continue to try to figure this out. Sometimes R&D projects go like this, and always when important facts are missing.

NO ONE WITH ONE OF THESE BOXES SHOULD PAY FOR IT UNTIL THIS IS FIXED. If it turns out that it can't be fixed I don't want to have to send back everyone's money.

Dandingo,

Splice the red wire from the delay box to the red w/black stripe wire just under the fuse panel. Don't cut the red/black stripe wire. Just use one of those splice connecters that clamp onto the existing wire.
As for the washer, if you push the wash button repeatedly you will get a squirt and sweep with each push of the button.

Gold Rush-

Thank for the tip on the power source, I will check it out. Unfortunately, my wash/wipe switch doesn't behave the way you describe. If I push and hold the wash/wipe, the water starts coming out, but the first pass of the wiper does not occur until 10 seconds after holding the wash/wipe toggle. It sounds as if yours performs a wipe when you initially push the toggle.

Edited to add: I found the power source you were talking about, thanks again. Also, my mistake on the wash/wipe toggle...The wiper does pass once when you first push and hold the switch and every 10 seconds thereafter.

This project can be saved but I need some brave souls with 2002s to perform a daring test. The X must have unmodified wiper wiring with no delay widget connected. Here's the information I need:

Remove your rear wiper switch and disconnect the harness from it. Turn your ignition on.

With a jumper lead, ground the blue wire in the wiper connector. Tell me:
a) Is the rear washer running?
b) Is the rear wiper running?
Now disconnect the jumper.

Again with a jumper lead, ground the blue/yellow wire in the wiper connector. Tell me:
a) Is the rear washer running?
b) Is the rear wiper running?
Disconnect the jumper.

Please post the results of this test along with the build date of your X, which is in the driver's door jamb.

I will try to get someone a block from me to allow me to do the same test. Everyone say Hi to Wayne, a.k.a. lefty. He is in the XOC and has a yellow 2002 SE/SC. Doesn't talk much though...

a) blue wire grounded has washer pump only running.
b) blue/yellow wire has wiper only running.

Build date of my X
(Feb 2002)

Hi Wayne!

for those of us who already have the original box in place, will a fix be a simple one (ie take out the old box, put in a new)?

-dm

The new box will likely have 4 wires instead of 3. The 4th wire will monitor the state of the washer pump and disable the delay when the pump is active. I will build a couple of the new ones so they can be proven out before more are built. When I am totally sure that they work I will swap out a new box for anyone with the old one.

I'll be a bit more precise with the wiring instructions this time. Some of you got...well...creative.

All I can say it delivered as promised. A simple tapping of the washer button keeps the rear wiper on while in the "WASH" mode. I do not want a replacement. Electroken...it works as promised.

Sven, you got mail!

After re-testing, I found that tapping the wash/wipe does work and that's good enough for me.

Payment on the way. Thanks again!

I'm still going to revise the box. Anyone with the old one can trade it in for a new one (for free) at any time. All of the new ones will be "smarter".

Will check when I get home, doing a bad thing, on this board at work

just got mine today. was looking through the thread to find any tips and hints before installing and came across the new issue. i guess i'll send mine back to ken and wait for the intermittent wiper widget v2.0.

also, i'm a bit challenged when it comes to this stuff. the install instructions say to connect the red wire to "any switched 12 volt source." unfortunately this means nothing to me. anybody got specific how-to instructions?

ken,
this is a great mod and you are so the man. i can't wait for the newer box. i'm sending mine back today for the upgrade along with a check. you can hang on to the check until i get it installed with a thumbs up if you want. if it works, deposit it, if it doesn't, tear up the check. i kinda doubt the latter will be the case.

Ken,
We got ours today. Unfortuantely my brothers truck will not be available as a test platform until at least the second weekend of Sept. (He's moving).
I'll hold onto the VERY professional looking mod that you sent me until I hear more concerning the 4 wire set up.
My X is a 2001 so I can't do your test on mine

Thanks again!

ElectroKen,

I'll keep Version 1 as is.

Wiper on: Wiper sweeps every 10 seconds....no problem.

Washer button held: water squirts, wiper sweeps.... hold again....water squirts, wiper sweeps....hold again....water squirts, wiper sweeps....no problem.

I believe that version 2 of the box is ready. Two of them should be going out on Friday and we'll see how they do.

I had a bit of a brain-fart today while testing one of these and vaporized the thing. It was truly spectacular.

What do you mean by spectacular? What happened? Sparks? Smoke?

I was testing a 2nd version module with no box. I use a gelled electrolyte battery for the testing, sort of a mini-Optima. These batteries can deliver hundreds of amps for a few seconds when they have to.

So, I hook up all of the test leads (unlike in the X there are no fuses here) and I'm ready to rock. Except I hooked up the test leads wrong.

The first thing the module is supposed to do when power is applied is start a wipe. The first thing this mis-wired one did was to try to pass 100 amps through the output transistor, which instantly exploded. Nothing nuclear, but kind of like a small firecracker.

This sort of thing happens all the time in my business (at work and at home). My wife and kids no longer notice the smaller bangs. Don't worry because nobody will get this particular module. It can't happen in your Xterra either because everything is fused.

I was never worried Ken

Ken

I got version 2 in the mail today and I quickly installed it. I am declaring version 2 a success.

Button pushed up = continuous wiping and washing.

Button pushed down = wiping every 10 seconds.

I will put version 1, along with my $20, in the mail back to you tomorrow.

Thanks for a cool mod, Ken!

Dave

Ken,
Let me know when you'll be sending out version #2 will ya? Hopefully we'll be able to get it installed right away.
Thanks,
Steve

Steve,

V2 will be in the mail on Friday. As soon as I hear that the first four of them are behaving I can get going on the dozen or so that I owe people.

Ken, I am happy to say that my Xterra now sports an intermittant rear wiper. It works as it should. Thank you very much for your time and effort with this. I'll mail you a check tomorrow.

Excellent.

I think I've finally caught up with everyone that was supposed to get one of these modules. The second version seems to be working well.

If anyone else wants one of these just send me a PM with your address. If anyone still has the old 3-wire design and would like to swap it out let me know as well.

Ken
You have mail.

I always have mail.

None of it seems to be from you though.

Ken, my check is now in the mail. Thanks! You ROCK!!

Hmm, well, not sure how I missed this post, but didn't find it in search until today. (weird.)

I was thinking about adding a circuit to the rear wiper as well... but on my 16 hour long drive down to New orleans last week, the entire time it rained, from moderate to hellaceous downpour... so i had some time to think as i dodged soccer moms driving in the thick rain while still talking on their cellphones...

If the front wiper delay could be tied to the rear wiper, that would work great for me. Don't have a wiring guide, but would it be as simple as running a relay off the front wiper wiring and interrupting a rear wiper wire?

I watched my driving in the rain, and ya know, the rear on my X gets about as nasty as the windshield does at the same time.. so tying the front to back makes sense to me.

Not knowing the wiring on the 02's... what do ya think?
-=RB42

(PS - I'm a technogeek and love the PIC idea too! But if it's this simple I'd have a hard time going with the controller.

It's possible, but don't forget a way to get the rear washer to work as well. A couple of things you'll need to know:

1) The wiper motors get one side pulled to ground to run them. The same thing goes for the 2 washer pumps. The + sides are tied to 12V.

2) The delay module for the front wipers is attached to the front wiper motor on the outside of the firewall.

Nuf said... I think I'll save up for one of your modules instead.

I guess the current design makes sense from Nissan's point of view... If I had to make as many XTerras as they do, removing extra expense is always a top priority.

Thanks for the info Ken - you rule!
-=RB42

The wiper delay modules have taken off in a way I never anticipated. I never expected to make more than a few but the 50th module shipped today. Because of its popularity, the module and Poor Boy Engineering must now change.

The module will get a real printed circuit board instead of the vector board used in the present modules. It's the only way I can make them fast enough. It will also get a newer microcontroller (PIC12F675). Nobody will see a difference in the look or performance.

The price of the module will rise to $25 on 12/21/02. I didn't mind making almost nothing on them when I thought there would only be 10 of the things ever made.

The biggest change is that Poor Boy Engineering will become a real company, registered in Connecticut. Sooner or later the state will figure out what I'm doing and I don't want to end up in jail with a boyfriend named Bubba.

Web based, I'm assuming?? And let us know as soon as you have a web site set up so we can have a one-stop shop for all of the goodies you have!!!

Your module went out today. It was #50. Anyone who has already asked for one still gets 'em for $20.

It's always interesting to see how others have approached similar problems. During a rare free moment I disassembled the original Nissan front wiper delay module. Here are the guts:


It's a nice design but probably more complex than it needs to be. It looks like it will last as long as the rest of the truck if the relay holds up. Here is what some of the stuff is:

IC1 is the brains, a Microchip PIC16FR711. No doubt chosen for it's A/D converter but has way more pins than are needed here.

IC2 is a reset minotor for the micro. This is redundant, the PIC has most of this built-in.

IC3 is a voltage regulator

The blue thing is a 4 MHz ceramic resonator, the master clock.

The box with "3059 BC" on it is the relay that ultimately drives the motor.

Q1 is the transistor that allows the PIC to drive the relay coil.

I suggest that if Electroken's Xterra ever dies, everyone here chip in and buy him a new one.

Ken,

Check yuor e-mail, just sent you payment via PayPal for the wiper delay module. It looks great! Can't wait to install it! What other electrical mods do you have available for the 2002 Xterra?

Thanks,
Jim

I did Ken's mod and it was easy to do,especially from someoe like myself that isn't crafty with wiring at all...took me a total of maybe 15 minutes to do and that's with stopping to go back in the house to grab a beer..

But it works great and love having it on my truck,it certainly beats having ther rear wiper going constantly....

Nothing. Even the wiper delay was someone else's idea. Got any ideas for new widgets?

How about a Flux Capacitor?

Yeah Ken help me out with my foglights...

I wanna get them to stay on when I use my high beams...

Wreckerboy is going to mail me a couple of 2002 wiring diagrams including the fog light circuit. Once I get them it will be a snap to figure out.

The flux capacitor will take a bit more work...

Sounds good to me..Also I have a donor vehicle if you need one...*hint,hint*

How about and auto down feature for other windows? Instead of a 3 position switch like the driver window, we could use a switch where in one position, it would cause the driver door window buttons to act normally and in the other position they'd all be express down. Just a thought. I always wondered why they didn't make this feature for more than one window.

Any good aftermarket alarm window controller will give you this. Don't need an alarm if all you want is the one-touch.

DEI's is around 90.

In the switches or the remote?

Oops... missed your reply...

DEI's window controller is about $90 at best buy. It interfaces between the switch and motor, and reads the inputs from the switches, giving you one touch up and down. That's by itself.

If you hook up the ground-while-armed (used for starter kill relays, for example), the module will also roll up the windows.

If you also hook up a second channel ground input, you can either roll the windows down totally when disarmed, or crack them one inch within 20 seconds of arming.

You can insert the module between the drivers door switch and windows, but the passenger window switch will then be on the "motor side" of the wire, and passenger wont have one-touch control. If you run the passenger window wires over to the passenger door and tie the module in there, then passenger would also have one-touch.

It's a pain, and most people only connect everything in the drivers door... but it's an option.

I don't think there is a suitable ground-while-armed trigger outside the SMART entry module to use this with the factory system. You could use the ground-during-key-lock trigger wire from the front doors to roll them up (its a wire that tells the SMART module you locked the doors with a key). But who uses keys to get into an Xterra anymore?

If you want to discuss further, this should probably be a new thread.
-=RB42

The wiper delay module finally has a real PC board. After building 64 units on vector board I had enough. Just because it's built in a basement doesn't mean it has to look like it!



Hey Xterradon, see what you started?

Sorry about the crappy picture. It's difficult to get a good shot of a 1.3" X 1.6" object with a point-n-shoot camera.

Hey Ken...just got my wiper delay today. I'll be sending you a check tomorrow. Thanks a lot for staying on top of the Vancouver guy testing it on an '03. Can't wait to install it!!

Peace....

Ken,

Thanks for the note on the windshield wipers, I'm taking the X in for it's 12k check-up next week, and will get them to have a look at the low-speed motor then. Your name popped up in my neck of the woods as the cunning developer of a much needed IRWiC (I posted your reply on SOXC in case anyone else had the same issue).

At X-Mas, I drove the truck from Ottawa to Victoria and back (over 10,000km's) in 3 weeks of snow, sleet, ice-rain - you name it. There has never been a mod more needed. You *are* still selling them, I hope... can you ship to Canada? What's your preferred method of payment? Speaking of payment, I heard you were having trouble collecting some accounts - need any knee-caps tapped north of the border? :-D

Anyway - I'll take one if you'll send it. I understand it'll be a few bucks more for shipping, and that the exchange rate's a killer. Just let me know how much, and where to send the $$ (COD/even Prepaid is fine). Drop an eMail to sdjb@hotmail.com.

Thanks a ton!

PS - Since you're into this sort of thing.... another mod I'd heard about,
was a disabler for the clutch safety switch (so you don't have to hold the
clutch in when you're starting the truck). I used to do it all the time in
the army - *real* handy in certain situations - and no mod required in old
army trux. The mod I saw was basically a little round button (the kind that
glows when it's activated) on the steering column in front of the key; it
connected the "clutch-in sensor" (listen to me - pretending I knew what I
was talking about), fooling the ignition into believing it was safe to
start. The ignition would stay fooled for about 20 seconds, and then go
back to normal.

PPS - Another mod I'd love to have, is an Air-Bag disconnector. You flip it
on when you're out in the woods, and your Bull-Bar is bashing through the
brush (uhh.. gently, of course). A buddy of mine's bush-guarded Ford
Explorer Sport was moving through tall grass (saplings, knowing him) at a
fair clip and it set off his air-bag... which really sucked. Black eyes,
broken nose, broken Oakley's, dust everywhere, and a $600 bill to get it
re-packed (he fought with the dealership on it, and won, but the hassle!).
There oughta be some way of just saying "no... I don't need my airbag right
now, I *want* to bump into things". Don't ya think?

SGT B-

The clutch interlock disabler was done by Coolerman and in fact there is a review of his kit in the XOC review section. It appears to be very well made.

I'll e-mail the details for getting a wiper delay module. I appreciate the offer of encouraging payment from my northern neighbors, but for now we can leave their kneecaps intact.

I think the idea of being able to disable the air bags in the woods is a great idea but I won't touch it. These days someone's attorney would have me living in the park in a box very quickly.

Alright lets make this one longer.

Ken,

I just sent you a PM.

Thanks
Kevin

Hey Ken, just received my wiper delay - looks great. I scanned through all the posts but did not see any pointers on the best way to pop the switch out. Anyone have any tips? Small screwdriver (like for eyglasses)?

I don't know how good this will help ya out but if you look at the picture I attached below you can see how the fog light switch is held in place well the plug on the wiper delay is very similar to this...you can use a small screwdriver like you mentioned or if you want you can try reaching it from underneath the dash and squeeze it from behind to prevent any damage to the clips..

Thanks a million - that helps a lot. It was a sinch to pop out - I used a small eyeglass flathead screwdriver with a piece of this cloth over it and popped it out - piece of cake.

How much is it now and what does it take to install? And how do you like payment?